CHONGQING (CQNEWS) --  As the school season begins, the bustling two-month summer travel season has come to an end. On August 28, Ctrip released its 2024 Summer Travel Market Report, revealing insights into this year's travel trends.

The report highlighted that the summer tourism market demonstrated strong consumer resilience, characterized by what Ctrip described as "three highs and three lows."

The "three highs" included sustained high activity in domestic and cross-border tourism, strong demand for parent-child and family trips that foster quality time together, and the popularity of emotionally engaging activities like "invigorating rural travel", city tours, and concerts, especially among younger travelers. The "three lows" indicated a preference for destinations with cooler climates or indoor attractions, a decrease in flight and hotel prices due to a recovering supply, and a rising interest in smaller, lower-tier destinations such as third- and fourth-tier cities, counties, and rural areas.

The bustling scenes in various tourist attractions in China last summer were undeniably impressive, and this year, domestic and cross-border tourism continued to thrive, building on that strong momentum. By August 25, 802 million passengers had traveled via the national railway since the start of the summer season, experiencing a 6.2% year-on-year increase, according to China Railway. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Administration reported that as of August 20, China’s civil aviation had transported 117 million passengers, with an average daily number of 2.286 million passengers—showing a remarkable 11% increase from last year. On August 10, a new record was set with 2.4514 million passengers traveling in a single day, the highest daily volume ever recorded.

This summer, Chongqing maintained a strong presence in tourism rankings, placing among the top ten in inbound tourism, top five in long-distance travel, and top six as a favorite destination for the post-2000 generation.

By August 25, inbound tourism orders to Chongqing had surged by 130% compared to the previous year. Domestic air ticket bookings saw a modest 1% year-on-year increase, while hotel bookings grew by 4%.

The main sources of tourists visiting Chongqing were Chengdu, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Meanwhile, Chongqing residents mostly traveled to Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guiyang, and Xi'an. Popular attractions in Chongqing included the Three Natural Bridges in Wulong, Fairy Mountain National Forest Park, Chongqing Zoo, Black Valley Scenic Area, and the Yangtze River Cableway.

A Ctrip representative noted that the top ten most popular tourist cities this summer were Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Shenzhen, Changsha, and Qingdao. Notably, tourism orders for county-level destinations increased by 45% compared to the previous two months, outpacing the growth in first-tier cities. Popular county-level destinations this summer included Dali, Dunhuang, Anji, Yangshuo, Kashgar, Dujiangyan, Yining, Tonglu, Yiwu, and Shangri-La. In these areas, 77% of tourists were from nearby first- and second-tier cities like Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Chongqing, and Suzhou.

Unlike the "revenge tourism" last year, where pent-up demand drove prices up, this summer saw a more balanced market due to the recovery of the supply chain. Prices for travel products, including air tickets, hotels, and study tours, showed a downward trend. According to Ctrip, the average price for domestic flights dropped by about 10%, while outbound flights saw even steeper declines. Hotel prices fell by nearly 10% year-on-year, and despite a significant increase in study tour bookings, the average price of overseas study tours dropped by around 40%.

With the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, travel prices are expected to decrease further, offering more opportunities for off-peak travel. Ctrip data indicates that travel between September and the Mid-Autumn Festival could save travelers 20% to 30% on air tickets and hotels compared to the summer. To capitalize on this, Ctrip has launched the 919 Global Travel Bargain Festival, partnering with over 200 brands from more than 20 countries to offer deals like 40% off global hotels, buy-one-get-one-free air tickets, and ¥9.9 tickets for popular attractions—creating a perfect opportunity for off-peak travel. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)